Chris Brookes

The cod fishery off the east coast of Newfoundland was a way of life, the backbone of society -- until it collapsed. A review of the history leading up to the crisis and the subsequent call for a moratorium of the northwest Atlantic cod fishery.

The fur trade is Canada's oldest industry, but today some people challenge the morality of killing animals for their fur. This film examines the public relations war raging between the industry and its opponents and takes an objective look at the ethical, environmental and economic issues raised by the debate. The struggle to win over public opinion has been joined by Indigenous peoples in Canada who fear that their way of life will be jeopardized if the fur industry is destroyed. The cycle of the industry is followed from the trapper's bush camp and the fur ranch to the final sale of a coat in the furrier's salon. Throughout the film, the conflicting opinions of fur industry representatives, animal rights activists and Indigenous people challenge the viewer to consider all aspects of this complex debate. —NFB

A documentary about Nain, a Labrador Inuit community located near the world's largest nickel and copper deposits. As commercial mining interests prepare to exploit the resources, local residents consider the potential environmental and cultural impact. Meanwhile longstanding Aboriginal land claims are unsettled.

Mummers and Masks is a one-hour documentary Christmas Special that explores the ageless world of mummers. The producer traces the legacy of mummering from the humble kitchen parties of the remote outports of Newfoundland to the wild parades and razamatazz of the New Orleans Mardi Gras, and the gaudy present-day Philadelphia Mummer's Parade with its swirling batons, clowns and string bands, to the ancient folk dramas (with their ageless renditions of death and resurrection) still annually, lovingly re-enacted in rustic corners of the British Isles and Europe.